MeTV Article Kami Cotler still remembers the finger spelling

[carol]

She learned from the first episode.

metv.com/stories/kami-cotler-still-remembers-the-finger-spelling-she-learned-for-the-very-first-episode-of-the-waltons

[Easton]

She did quite well with the alphabet except for the 'P' and 'Q'. She lifts her elbow in order to tilt her entire arm and hand down when she should just bend her wrist to point just the fingers down. At least she didn't 'punch' each letter as often happened in the episode. Also, all letters face the reader. None are read from the side. To make double letters, such as in 'Holly' or 'happy', you make the first 'L' or 'P' and the slide it slightly to the right (of left if left-handed) to indicate a repeat of the letter.

I just wish my fingers still worked. One lady I knew back in the 70s developed Parkinsons. Very few people could understand her spelling. With my tremors and arthritis, I can appreciate her situation and frustration.

[Livie's Friend]

Easton, it sounds to me (no pun intended) that you are very familiar with sign.  Did you use it much throughout your life?

[Easton]

^ I used it and sign language in the mid-70s in a hearing-impaired school and then, in the late 70s, I taught sign and fingerspelling for parents of hearing-impaired children.

I'm not surprised that Kami still remembers it. I do after almost 50 years. Sign language, though, like any other language, becomes 'lost' if you don't use it regularly. I can still read it, though. Doing it? Not so much.

Stephen 'CaptainValor' Torrence is the best hand singer on YouTube. Unfortunately, he is no longer making videos, but he has an extensive library of signed songs if you do a search for him.

In sign language, the hands do the words. The face puts the emotions into those signs. When you watch this lovely video (Josh Groban's 'You Raise Me Up'), try to watch Stephen's face. That's what deaf people are watching. As you will, you will see the signs in your peripheral vision:

 Here's another with extensive fingerspelling which is used when there are no signs (such as names). He's right-handed, so watch his right hand if you want to see just how fast fingerspelling can be:

[Livie's Friend]

I watched the Josh Groban video.  I have always felt sign language was so beautiful and now even more so after watching Stephen's rendition.  You can't help but feel chills just watching the beauty of this.

Thanks for sharing.  Think I'll go watch some others

[carol]

I took ASL in 7th grade. It was an elective course. I still remember how to fingerspell and I still know some signs. We learned to sign The Lord's Prayer and I can remember most of it.

I could never carry on a conversation with a deaf person though.

[Deleted]

Kami was pretty young when that episode "The Foundling " aired on television but she did go on to be a teacher I heard so I guess she did remember some of the finger spelling from back then. I wonder though if the actress Erica Hunton who played the deaf girl Holly was actually hearing impaired. She did an awesome job in that episode.